Tom 400 CFI

I posted this on another forum. One person responded (the quoted, italicized part), but no one else did as they probably just don't know. Please input if you KNOW how the system works. No speculation please. Thanks!

..."your understanding of how the timing works is incorrect. That isn't the way the lights/timing system works. With 2 beams crossing the track at the starting line, the first beam ONLY serves to turn the pre-staged light on and off. The pre-stage light is not connected to the timing system. All the pre-staged light does is provide a warning as to when you are close to the staging light beam. If you stage really shallow, you get the full width (length?) of your front tire (at the height of the beam off of the track) as your roll out, the 10" you refer to. The pre-staged beam doesn't hold any distance in reserve for you. All that matters, one beam or two, is how far you have ventured into that second beam, and how much of that example of 10" you have "burned" by going in too deep. You may even recall seeing cars at RMR that "deep staged". That is when they roll into the beams far enough to turn off the pre-staged light. Further proof that the pre-staged light is nothing but a warning."

This person has EXTENSIVE drag racing experience. If what he says is true, and I believe that it is, then I did in fact, run a legitimate, 12.89 at 4500' elevation, with a DA of 7400'....and that's not bad.

Time2Fly

This is correct.
This is incorrect.

AlkyIROC

I agree but there's actually 3 lights. The third is called a guard beam that's just forward of the starting line stage beam. The guard beam is what determines the roll out. It's located 16" out from the starting line and if it's triggered before the stage light goes out, you red light. This prevents things like low hanging objects on the front of the car trying to gain an unfair advantage. You could also have a low oil pan or headers keeping the stage light lit as the front tires break the guard beam.

Everything is based on the second beam. Theoretically, when you deep stage, you are a few inches closer to the finish line and could run a slightly quicker time. Will you notice the difference? Probably not.

There are different ways to stage. To get consistency, you want to stage in the same spot every time. Once your prestage light is on, move ahead until you just turn on the stage light. This is a shallow stage. If you stop just when the stage light comes on, you'll stop in the same spot and same distance from the start line every time. If you roll ahead slightly, you'll shorten the distance and it's hard to know if you're in the same spot every time. A few inches can make a big difference in your reaction time.

Vehicles that are slow off the line can get better reaction times by deep staging. This means you roll ahead after turning on the stage light until the prestage light goes off. The distance between the lights isn't much so if you go too far, you red light. Once you turn off the stage light by driving through it, the timer starts. If you stall on the start line but don't break the stage beam, you can fire up the engine and still go. You'll have a terrible reaction time because the reaction timer starts when the green light comes on but your ET won't change. The goal is to getting a reaction time as close to possible. That means as soon as the green light comes on, you're breaking the stage beam and starting the ET timer. In all racing whether heads up or brackets, reaction time can win or lose a race. Be asleep at the tree but run exactly what you dialed in and you'll lose unless your opponent was even worse.

Shallow staging increases your reaction time (slower), reduces your elapsed time and increases trap speed, while being the safe choice for beginners. Deep staging decreases your reaction time (better), increases elapsed time and reduces the final trap speed, putting you at the edge of disqualification so it should be reserved for experienced racers.

Having a tall front tire helps cover the beams better because of the larger area it covers on the ground. This can allow better times and has less of a chance of red lighting. Once you turn on the stage light, a tall tire will roll forward more before turning off the light.

Having a 12 second car in Denver, Utah or Calgary is a great feat. High altitude racing really shows how much power can be lost in the bad air.

1320_Guy

iTrader: (3)

The single stage light is kinda outdated now. Back in the 60s they dident wory about staging that much. You could start right b4 the light or 2 feet away they dident realy care. The problem with that is back then instead of you sitting in the middle of the beam and moving forward to start your time, they had it set up to where you start behind the beam and when you roll through it your time starts. They got rid of this somewhere in the late 60s or earlily 70s (not shure of time it was kinda b4 my time) because as tires were improving and people acturaly hooking up instead of spinning half track. For the longest time they couldent figure out why when 2 simular cars would race one might have a crappy reaction time and run a rediculas et and still lose. This was happining because people were lifting the front tires over the beam and acturaly breaking them with the rear tires.

1bad406

iTrader: (1)

wow, our Density Altitude is usually around 3400 in the middle of the day, and then 2300 or so as the night goes on when I check it at the track.

KWIK84

iTrader: (5)

Another thing about staging that wasn't brought up here yet, is courtesy staging which I feel very strongly about.

1bad406

iTrader: (1)

ORSCA has an "unwritten" courtesy stage rule. But you have to watch some of the guys, they can't react on a pro tree very well without going deep, so they like to rush up on you and double bulb before you can even get your prestage light on so they can roll deep.

Tom 400 CFI

Wow...that was a lot of info that I didn't need! It's always interesting reading though.

All I really wanted to know, was if my 12.89 at the near by track that uses a single beam...if that time was legitimate or not. I THOUGHT that I had an unfair advantage w/the single beam, but according to the poster on the other forum, and Time2Fly on here, I was wrong, and my 12.89 was legitimate. Which I'm pretty damn fired up about. Actually, given the DA of the day, I'm VERY fired up about it!

-Tom

AlkyIROC

The single beam is the same as the stage light. It's directly on the start line. You can roll through it slightly to be a couple of inches closer to the finish line but when the tree is activated and as soon as it's unblocked, the ET timer starts.

The other starting line lights are only for information and fairness, they have nothing to do with the ET timer.

KWIK84

iTrader: (5)

At my local track during points rounds of elemination if you don not courtesy stage it is a first time warning (for the year) second time is a DQ!!

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Nobody mentioned "autostart". Starter hits the button when both are prestaged, you have 15 seconds to stage after the other guy does or you're redlighted out. I suppose that could work with a single beam as well.

Burndowns wouldn't be as exciting with a single beam, either.